Five-Star Technical User’s Guide Plus Claims-Based Measures Appendix (Updated)

CMS created the Five-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily. The Nursing Home Compare Web site features a quality rating system that gives each nursing home a rating of between 1 and 5 stars. Nursing homes with 5 stars are considered …

ACIP COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations Updated

Use of Additional Doses of 2024–2025 COVID-19 Vaccine for Adults Aged ≥65 Years and Persons Aged ≥6 Months with Moderate or Severe Immunocompromise: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2024 Weekly / December 12, 2024 / 73(49);1118–1123 Summary What is already known about this topic? The …

Why Getting MDS Right Is Non-Negotiable: The Importance of MDS Accuracy

Written by Kristine Martinez BSN, RN, RAC-CTA, QCP Completing a Minimum Data Set (MDS) correctly is no small task. With approximately 510 answers or choices on a comprehensive MDS (not including CAA investigation), and approximately530 answers or choices on a 5-day MDS, the potential for missed or miscoded information on any …

CMS Revises Appendix Q (Guidance on Immediate Jeopardy) in State Operations Manual

Memo #QSO-25-09-ALL Fiscal Year 2025 REVISION TO QSO-19-09-ALL REVISED ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON MARCH 5, 2019 • Core Appendix Q and Subparts – Appendix Q to the State Operations Manual (SOM), which provides guidance for identifying immediate jeopardy, has been revised. The revision creates a Core Appendix Q that will be …

CDC: Coverage with Influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 Vaccines Among Nursing Home Residents – NHSN, United States, November 2024

Weekly / November 21, 2024 / 73(46);1052–1057 Summary What is already known about this topic? Nursing home residents are at increased risk for severe COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) illness. Vaccination reduces risk for severe outcomes from these vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases. What is added by this report? As of …

New COE-NF Behavioral Health Resources: De-escalation, SUD, and Major Depressive Disorder Toolkits

De-escalation/Behavioral Expression Toolkit De-Escalation Strategies In-Service Toolkit The de-escalation toolkit aims to equip staff with the knowledge and techniques necessary to prevent escalating behaviors and enhance safety within a nursing facility. The de-escalation toolkit offers clear guidance… Substance Use Disorder (SUD)Toolkit Substance Use Disorder In-Service Toolkit The substance use disorder …

OIG: Nursing Facility Industry Segment-Specific Compliance Program Guidance

From https://oig.hhs.gov/compliance/nursing-facility-icpg/ The Nursing Facility ICPG—together with OIG’s General Compliance Program Guidance (GCPG) that applies to all individuals and entities involved in the health care industry—serves as OIG’s updated and centralized source of voluntary compliance program guidance for nursing facilities. Nursing facilities can use the ICPG to help identify their own risks and …

Sepsis Primer: What Is It, and How Does It Tie Into Survey and QMs?

Sepsis—a key driver of hospital readmissions—can have negative clinical impacts for residents and negative financial, quality, survey, and even legal impacts for nursing homes. Here is a review of important basics: What is sepsis? The current clinical definition of sepsis is “life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response …

CMS QSO Memo: Significant Revisions to Long-Term Care Survey Process Effective 2/24/2025

Revised Long-Term Care (LTC) Surveyor Guidance: Significant revisions to enhance quality and oversight of the LTC survey process Memo # QSO-25-07-NH Posting Date 2024-11-18 Fiscal Year 2025 Memorandum SummaryRevised Surveyor Guidance: CMS is releasing the following revised guidance for nursing home surveyors: • Admission, Transfer & Discharge, Chemical Restraints/Unnecessary Psychotropic …

Diabetes Management in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care: JAMDA Clinical Practice Guideline

The newly revised Clinical Practice Guideline for Diabetes Management in the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC) Setting provides (1) new information on overall goals in diabetes care, (2) detailed information on how to use and manage medication alternatives , and (3) information on the roles of interdisciplinary team members in …